I'm aware, and I said it wasn't fair. Its not done here, and that's what I would think if a group of people showed up outside my home depot open carrying (apparently) loaded long guns....maybe, after OCT, I'd think that they were just bad protesters, but I'd still leave either way. I am a gun owner, and I have zero problems with CC. OC in an urban center....you better be in uniform or I don't want anything to do with you, because I don't want to deal with whatever made you make that choice. sent from a device without a real keyboard...sorry if something doesn't make sense.
I can't help but think that if this group carried blue training handguns in OWB holsters it would be a better form of protest against the ban on OC of a handgun. My state is VERY gun friendly. I open carry a full sized Smith & Wesson handgun and have never gotten a second glance, but I don't think that open carrying long arms is a good way to protest against a ban on handguns...
Training guns... that's sounds like an interesting idea. Thing us, maybe if you see a handgun at the mall in an OC state you think "that's suitable for self defence, no problem", (subconsciously or otherwise) but if you see a rifle/AR/etc at the mall, even if legal, you think "that's a bit too much for self defence at the mall, what's he doing?", that seems to be what people are saying.
I'm not certain if you are being sarcastic or not. If you are, then please let me know what I said wrong. If not, my apologies for misunderstanding. Sent from Fiji via carrier pigeon
Sorry if that was a weird way to put it, I was just blown away that none of the people involved in the movement or thread had brought that up, and I was/am under the impression you are pretty young and was giving you kudos.
I agree that what OCT is doing is over the top, and I would leave a place where people were open carrying long guns. I don't agree with this statement though. You are free to feel that way, however I don't see any harm in people legally open carrying hand guns in an urban area and being responsible about it. I wouldn't give most people a second thought for open carrying a pistol. I don't feel it's a bad choice to open carry, regardless of how densely populated, just a personal choice. Many people open carry without any ill intention or questionable reasons for doing so. While I personally don't open carry, if I chose to do so, it wouldn't be for reason that you would need to be concerned about dealing with. Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
No worries. I just wasn't sure of your intentions. Being 18, I would imagine I'm younger than most of our forum users. I agree. I am surprised at how aggressively he denounced open carry. Interestingly enough, my next door neighbor (CFP holder) has a similar viewpoint. He thinks that, unless you are in uniform, it should be ILLEGAL to OC. I personally believe that is utterly ridiculous and shortsighted. He approached me while I was doing some yard work and told me that open carry was a very irresponsible way to carry a gun. I informed him that it was the only legal way for me to carry as an 18 year old and if he didn't like it he was more than welcome to look for real estate in Texas where they don't allow OC of handguns. (I wasn't being snarky, he is a long time friend) I told him I'm working on getting my Maine permit so I can CC and that seemed to appease him. My point is this. Responsible open carriers are doing more good for RKBA than CC'ers do. Whenever I am open carrying I make sure I am well dressed and completely respectful with my words and actions. I like to think that a person who sees me with a firearm will be so impressed with my level of respectfulness and maturity, especially for an 18 year old, that it may change their mind about gun owners. Sent from Fiji via carrier pigeon
The reason I don't like o.c. HERE is that I've lived inside the Atlanta city limits for quite a while...over a decade. There are a lot of people from outside the city (way out or just a suburb) who are terrified of it. Frankly, I'm more afraid of the meth cooks out in the sticks. Yeah....there are places you just don't go if you don't have to, and like any other city, a girl walking alone at night is not guaranteed safety. But for the vast majority of the city, its not a big deal. The "dangerous people" will almost always leave you alone unless you give them a reason not to or you're already their target. If you have a gun visible on your hip, it seems like it would very easily escalate a situation from "I walked by some guy who seemed sketchty" to "this creepy guy keeps looking at me". If you're already in orange or white instead of yellow, you just identified a target that wouldn't have looked at you twice otherwise. Then, you're looking at each other, and at least one of you is armed. I just think that's a fundamentally worse situation than them not knowing you're armed. Long guns...in the city....I see 5 possible reasons. 1. Protest 2. Hunter or plain clothes LE/Mil who carries it around for some reason. 3. Looking to start trouble (I used the example of a hate rally, probably insensitively). 4. Knows of a specific threat I don't know about (otherwise I wouldn't be there). 5. Terrified of cities, probably for no real reason. I don't really want to be near any of those. All right, I'm off to my weekly USPSA match. sent from a device without a real keyboard...sorry if something doesn't make sense.
That was Chris Cox, head of their legal group. While it's true he said they shouldn't have called them names, he also did not completely refute the fact that their approach was bad. He said several times throughout the interview that; 1. The NRA absolutely supports OC where legal. 2. the NRA is about "winning" the fight for gun rights. 2. how important "tactics" are. That seems to me to be a subtle way of saying "be smart about how you go about winning". Not a full-on apology, but more of a soothing, if you ask me. Which I'm okay with. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I found the link to the interview, but can't post it; I guess the domain isn't approved? Anyway, a little Google-fu should lead you to it if anyone is interested.
Now we're talking! <<< Even when the world is at peace, a gentleman always keeps a blade at his side. -The Strategies of Wu. >>>
In most cases I feel concealed carry is better overall than open carry. I guess my point was that just because someone chooses to open carry, doesn't mean they are looking for trouble, have ill intentions, or any other shady reason for doing so. Personally I find open carry much more comfortable than shoving a gun between my waste band. I can see many people doing so for that reason alone. Btw, I want to say I'm really impressed with how civil this thread has been. I was recently on another forum where the extremest on both sides rapidly destroyed any chance of an intelligent conversation. Reminds me why this forum is so great. Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
Bah, humbug! Gather up your good feelings and take them elsewhere! This is an awesome forum! Sent from Fiji via carrier pigeon
Hey moostapha, I just wanted to comment on something here. I've noticed in a few posts here and in the "No carry = No business" thread you have basically asked the question (paraphrasing here) "What are people so afraid of that they feel the need to carry a gun?" I'm not trying to blast you, I'm trying to understand where you are coming from. To me, it sounds like you are saying that someone shouldn't be carrying a gun unless they think they will need to us it and if they think they will need to use it then they should relocate themselves. Is that what you are getting at? I CC everyday. I don't have the legal option to OC where I am (unless hunting or fishing) and probably would not even if I could for my own personal reasons. But I CC because I'm taking responsibility for my own safety and for my family's safety. Do I distrust the police forces around here? No. Do I trust that they will protect me when seconds count? They might want to but definitely won't be able to in some cases. Does this make me paranoid since I'm not regularly in high crime areas? Well, obviously I don't think so. I look at it as a matter of risk. Most people classify risk as just the likelihood that something will happen. I think, instead, it's a function of the likelihood that something will happen and the outcome/impact of the thing happening. As was said elsewhere, I won't carry an umbrella every time there is a chance of rain. Mainly because I don't worry about the impact of it raining, not because of the percent chance it happens. I carry my pistol because even though the chance that I will need to use it defensively is pretty small, statistically speaking, the impact of not being able to use it if needed is catastrophic. Like I said, I'm not trying to blast you or bait you. I am just trying to understand more about where you are coming from. Thanks!
I love guns, even the evil black ones, but long guns should only be open carried if you are going to or coming back from your hunting spot or in the event there is a riot down the street. Short of that, CC your favorite handgun. I know these folks were doing this as part of a protest, but it is counter productive. And BTW, based on some close up photo's I saw on a pro gun blog, some of these Bozo's who were carrying AR's in fast food restaurants in the low ready, had their safety off, or in other words, on FIRE ! I think Col Cooper would have shot them on sight for being major malfunctioning numbnuts
I'm a member of the NRA because I believe in the responsible ownership and use of firearms. I lived in Arizona for 3 years where it was legal to openly carry a gun on your hip. Never ran into a problem there. I don't think that carrying a long gun around unless it's in a scabbard on your horse or your motorcycle is very smart or responsible.